Gas engine



Patented Sept. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES RALPH MARTELLONE AND KENNETH URQUHART, or cLEvELANn, oHIo.

GAs ENGINE.

Application led January 18,- 1922. Serial No. 530,031.

To all lw'h'om may concern.'

Be it known that we, RALPH MARTELmNE and KENNETH URQUHART, citizens of the United States, residin at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga, hio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Gas Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in internal combustion engines, particularly to a type of engine wherein an auxiliary combustion chamber leading from the main chamber is employed for entrapping a certain quantity of fuel drawn in on the suction stroke of the piston, and then ignited subsequently to the ignition of the main chamber, whereby sufficient successive power impulses are obtained during a single working stroke of the piston.

Numerous internal combustion engines have heretofore been designed for securing successive power impulses on a single working stroke of the piston, but in most cases, the gases drawn into the auxiliary chamber can be discharged only through the mam cylinder, and consequently some of the products of combustion are entrapped within the auxiliary chamber as the piston moves upwardly on the exhaust stroke. These burned gases then occupy space which should be occupied by the succeeding charge ,of fresh gases, and as a result the eiiiciency of the engine is impaired.

Our invention therefore, is directed toward the construction of an engine in which the products of combustion, entrapped by the piston on the exhaust stroke in' an auxiliary chamber, are drawn from such chamber subsequently to the closure thereof by the piston. In otherwords, our invention provides means for scavenging the auxiliary chamber so that the fresh gases will occupy substantially the ent-ire auxiliary chamber and consequently produce a greater force when the charge is exploded.

To this end, we have provided an auxiliary exhaust ort, which is independent of the main ex aust port, with connections for rarifying the gases in the passageway leading from the auxiliary chamber, whereby the products of combustion are induced -from the auxiliary chamber whenever a valve in the auxiliary exhaust port is opened. In addition, we provide a reservolr in the auxiliary exhaust manifold wherein the gas pressure is greatly below that existing in the auxiliary chamber, whereby a multi-cylinder engine may be successfully scavenged. The means for rarifying the gases in the reservoir, constitutes one of the features of our invention and the details of construction embodying such means will be hereinafter described and set forth in detail.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation in a multi-cylinder internal combustion en# gine constructed in accordance with our invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1 and showing in section the means for producing a rarilication in the reservoir. Designating the parts shown in the drawlngs by the use of reference characters, 10

indicates the cylinder of an internal combustion engine in which the iston 11 reciprocates. The up er end, o the cylinder is shown as an or inary T head construction as at` 12, and is further shown as being equipped with ordinary inlet and exhaust valves 13 and 14, which are actuated in fthe usual manner by a spring and cam mechanism. Suitable inlet and exhaust manifolds 15 and 16 lead from the respective inlet and exhaust valves, and in the embodiment shown, the exhaust manifold terminates in a single pipe 17 adjacent one end of the engine.

In addition to the main combustion chamber, we provide an auxiliary chamber 20 which comprises an annular recess leading from the main chamber at approximately one-third the distance from the top as indicated in Fig. 2; This auxiliary chamber may be formed by extendin the casting 10 outwardly and providing ri s 21 on which the piston 11 travels as it reciprocates in the engme cylinder. The auxiliary combustion chamber is provided with an independent exhaust port in which the valve 22 operates. This valve is also controlled by a spring and cam mechanism in much the same manner as are the inlet and exhaust valves 13 and 14. Directly beneath the chamber- 20, we have shown an annular passage 23 which communicates with an auxiliary exhaust manifold, 24 which in' turn communicates with a reser voir 25. From the reservoir, a assage 26 leads into the main exhaust line 1g.

As the exhaust gases from the main com-v bustion chamber pass through the exhaust 'manifold 16, they are caused to pass through a restricted throat 30,' and as a result the pressure in the passage 17 immediately surrounding the throat is reduced.l This construction constitutes, in effect, an ejector, which serves to rarify the gases in the reservoir 25. This rarification is more pronounced and continuous on a muti-cylinder engine, by reason of the fact thatthe exhaust gases passing through the manifold 16 flow in a substantially steady stream.

As the combustible charge is drawn into the cylinder, part of the gases in the auxiliary chamber are entrapped therein by the piston on the compression stroke. This entrapped charge is exploded subsequently to the charge in the main combustion chamber either by the burning gases or through the medium of a spark plug 35. As the piston then starts upwardly on the exhaust stroke, the exhaust valve 14 is opened and the products of combustion from both combustion chambers pass into the manifold 16. In this way, the burned gases in the auxiliary chamber are partially exhausted until the piston covers the passages leading thereto and entraps some of the burnt gases. Then the exhaust valve 22 in the auxiliary chamber is opened as by a cam 36 acting on a lever 37. As soon as this valve is opened, the entrapped gases in the chamber 20 are induced therefrom by reason of the rarified condition in the reservoir 25. This inducing action continues until the piston is about to uncover the auxiliary chamber on the inlet stroke. At about this time, the cam 36 releases the lever 37, whereupon the valve 22 is closed so that as soon as the piston uncovers the auxiliary chamber, the auxiliary chamber is completely scavenged and in con-l dition to receive fresh gases from the mainchamber.

Our invention is well adapted for use on either single or multi-cylinder engines because of the fact that the gases in the reservoir 25 are rarified before the valve 22 is opened. This rarification is caused by the exhaust gases from the main chamber and auxiliary chamber, owing through the throat 30 before the piston covers the passage leading to the auxiliary chamber. -In Fig. 2 the piston has just closed the passage leading to the auxiliary chamber on the exhaust stroke and in this position the exhaust valve 14 is open and the cam 36 just about to engage the lever 37 for opening the valve 22. It will thus be seen that the auxiliary chamber is completely scavenged, and is ready to receive a fresh mixture as soon as the valve 22 is closed.

An internal combustion engine constructed according to our invention, possesses advantages over existing engines operating on the impulse principle in that the scavenging is not dependent upon the sweeping action of fresh gases. Accordingly, engines equipped with our invention and operating on the four-cycle principle, possess greater power without materially increasing the weight. In addition such engines have greater 'facilities for starting by reason of the lplurality of residuary charges remaining in the engine after it has been stopped.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:-

l. An internal combustion engine having in combination, a cylinder, a piston therein, an auxiliary explosion chamber leading from the cylinder intermediate the extreme ends of the stroke of the piston, an exhaust passageway leading from the cylinder, an auxiliary exhaust passageway leading from said chamber and communicating with the first exhaust passageway, a valve controlling the passage of gas from the auxiliary chamber through the auxiliary exhaust passageway, means for so connecting said exhaust passageways that one functions to rarify the gas in the other, and means for opening said valve after the piston has closed the auxiliary chamber whereby the gas in the exhaust auxiliary passageway is rarified after the piston has closed the passageway between the auxiliary chamber and the cylinder.

2. An internal combustion engine comprising, in combination, a cylinder having a port therein, an auxiliary explosion chamber leading from the cylinder, a piston movable in the cylinder and arranged to cover the port to said chamber during a portion of the stroke and to uncover the port during another portion of the stroke, an exhaust passageway leading from the cylinder, a second exhaust passageway leading from the chamber, means connecting the passageways so that the ow of gas in the first induces a iow of gas through the second, a valve controlling the fiow of gases from the chamber through the exhaust passageway and means for maintaining the valve in closed position until the piston has closed the auxiliary explosion chamber on the exhaust stroke and for closing said valve after the piston has closed the auxiliary explosion chamber whereby gases entrapped in the explosion chamber are rarified.

3. An internal combustion engine having in combination a cylinder, an auxiliary explosion chamber having a port communicating with said cylinder, a piston operable within the cylinder so as to cover the port to the chamber during a portion of the stroke, and to uncover it during another portion of the stroke, an exhaust passageway leading from the cylinder, a second exhaust passageway leading from the chamber, said passageways being so connected that the discharge from the first induces a. tlow from the second, a reservoir in the second passageway having a materially larger capacity than the capacity of said chamber, a valve controlling the iow of gas from said chamber into said reservoir, said valve being closed during the initial movement of the piston on the exhaust passageway leading from the cylinder and said valve being opened after the piston has passed said port on the exhaust stroke, whereby gases within said chamber are rariiied and said valve being again closed before the piston uncovers the port on the succeeding inlet stroke.

4. An internal 'combustion engine having in combination, a cylinder, a piston therein, an auxiliary combustion chamber communieating with the cylinder, an exhaust valve in said chamber, cam actuated means for operating said valve, an exhaust passageway leading from said valve, a reservoir associated with said manifold, and means for rarifyng the gases in said reservoir prior to the opening of said valve.

5. An internal combustion engine having in combination a cylinder, a piston therein, an auxllla-ry combustion chamber communicating with the cylinder, an annular exhaust chamber beneath the auxiliary combustion chamber, a passageway intermediate said chambers, a valve within the passageway, and'means for rarifying the gases in the exhaust chamber after said valve is closed.

6. An internal combustion engine having in combination, a cylinder, a piston therein, an auxiliary combustion chamber communieating with the cylinder, an auxiliary exhaust chamber associated with the combustion chamber and communicatin therewith, a valve extending between sai chambers, cam actuated means for operating the valve, an exhaust passageway leading from said exhaust chamber, a reservoir communicating with the passageway, and means for producing a vacuum within the reservoir.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aiiix our signatures.

vRALPH MARTELLONE.

KENNETH URQUHART. 

